Hanging Upside Down

Last week I tried Anti-Gravity Yoga. I’ve been wanting to try this for what feels like years, but it has actually only been since whenever Sheri Sheppard tried it on the View. (Given the way time has been flying by that could have been three months ago.)

I was a little nervous because I had taken an exhausting fitness class before and was afraid my muscles would be exhausted. I’ve also hung upside down before and while my back loves it, sometimes my head feels like my brain is going to ooze out of my eyes after they have popped out from all the force. (Great image, I know.)

Fears aside, I finally found a mixed-level class in NYC and met my sister so we could take the class together. She’d been wanted to try it too and is a yoga instructor, which for some reason made me feel like her skills might rub off on me. We share genetics, but I don’t seem to be any better at yoga than she is at Pilates.

The class was wonderful–so much fun and my body felt great when I was done. I wished that my muscles had come to the class fresh (not already partially exhausted), but I left wanting the yoga hammock in my home for my personal use. The hanging upside down wasn’t bothersome at all, though I’m not entirely sure what made the difference.

The class was very challenging. It surprised me as an anti-gravity newbie. If I didn’t exercise as much as I do, I think I would have had a really hard time. I had a hard time anyway. There is a level of trust that you have to have for the hammock and yourself as you jump into it, hang upside, swing from it, and flip over in circles in it. I liked the concept of having to trust myself while exercising.

On some exercises, the hammock dug into my skin a little and made it a little uncomfortable, but I think that is something I would get used to. What I didn’t expect was how large the hammock is. You can lie down flat in it and feel completely supported from head to feet. It was so comfortable that I was completely willing to forgo the pain I felt when I’d wrapped it around my waist and put all my weight against it. You can completely encapsulate yourself in it as if you are inside a cocoon or a womb. It’s superb.

Kevin, the substitute instructor, was very welcoming and I really enjoyed him and the way he taught. He had good control of the class and was more than willing to take multiple pictures of my and Kate when the class was over. I can’t wait to do this again!

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Thank you for giving your time to stop and read my blog. I hope it encourages you to keep moving. Move and the body will be happier. And when you're moving you can hike, run, swim in Jell-O, race over non-Newtonian fluids, travel the world or build igloos--if that's your thing. If not, you can watch me do it. This is just a spot to try and feel good about life.